Too many apps, not enough time

6 LinkedIn

We've been on LinkedIn for years and we've still no idea what it's actually for.

7 Foursquare

iOS, Android, Windows Phone

Foursquare is finding it hard to make anyone care

Some apps fall into disuse because the novelty wears off, and that's definitely the case with our use of Foursquare: the thrill of seeing that your friends were at the gym or of becoming the mayor of the nearest greasy spoon wore off awfully quickly. That's something Foursquare realised too, and these days its focus is on recommending places to go rather than broadcasting where you are. Just like TripAdvisor, and Yelp, and…

8 Camera apps

iOS

Camera apps - scuppered by Apple's own camera

There are lots of really good camera apps for iOS, but on Apple's platform you can't change the default - so when you spot something you want to shoot and do the swipe thing from the lock screen, you're in Apple's own app. Something like Camera+ may well be a better app, but even if you've got it on your home screen getting to it involves a swipe to wake the phone and a PIN code to unlock it first. That's fine for studied shots, but it's not much use for spontaneous shooting.

9 The X Factor and other TV shows' apps

iOS, Android

X Factor? Nope, us either

The official line on the X Factor app is that it's catering for "an already highly-engaged, technically-literate audience looking for seamless second screen experiences". The reality is that it's designed to make money from dolts' votes and it, like many other TV programmes' companion apps, doesn't offer much if you're not going to buy in-app purchases. Speaking of which:

10 Anything crippled by in-app purchases

iOS, Android

In-app payments - the scourge of app downloads

We're not against in-app purchases and Freemium business models - we'll happily pay to remove ads, to unlock power features or to buy content such as digital books and magazines or how-to videos - but it's often impossible to tell whether a publisher is doing Good Freemium or Bad Freemium until we've installed the app. It's a particular problem with children's titles, some of which have been designed to be effectively unplayable without expensive in-app purchases. Any developer writing apps for kids that contain £74.99 IAPs needs to take a good long look at themselves.